EDUC 310 Cross-Cultural Interaction Model

Stage #1: Understanding Emotional Responses in Intercultural Interactions

INSTRUCTIONS: Using page three of Chapter 4s handout, briefly describe when you have felt the emotions
presented below during a cross-cultural interaction.

Anxiety

This summer, I travelled

to the Middle East with
a group from JMU. We
spent time in Israel and
Palestine for two weeks.
This was the first time I
had ever been outside
the Unites States, much
less surrounded by an
entirely new culture that
was foreign to me.
Certain situations made
me very anxious.
Something that we had
to be very cautious
about as a group was
communication within
the airport in Tel Aviv.
We spent the last few
days of our trip in
Palestine, where we
spoke Arabic. Once we
arrived to the airport,
we had to be
conscientious that we no
longer could say
Marhaba (hello in
Arabic), but we had to
re-adjust to the Hebrew
language. This was due
to the conflict between
the countries of Israel
and Palestine. I was
nervous that Id say the
wrong thing or answer a
question wrong, and our
group would be
questioned or held back
from going home.

Ambiguit
y

While in Palestine, we
had the opportunity to
stay with a family in a
small town. We were
privileged to get an
inside look into what a
day-in-the-life of a
Palestinian family was
like. It was a difficult
situation because my
friend and I werent
always sure what was
culturally appropriate or
acceptable. Something
that was ambiguous was
what was expected of us
for breakfast. We woke
up really early, and the
grandmother in the
household (who did not
speak English) had
prepared an elaborate
meal of pita, olives, and
various dipping oils. We
werent very hungry, but
we also didnt want to
be rude. We werent
sure how much we
should eat without
offending the efforts this
woman went through to
generously serve us.

Disconfirme
Rejection
d
The last night we were
When we were staying
in Palestine, we went
in the small Palestinian
Expectation
out to a local spot. The
town, we had a picnic
swent was with a large number of
place that we
showing the finale of
Arab Idol. We soon
realized that this was a
huge deal, especially for
the people in Palestine.
There was someone
from the Gaza Strip who
was in the top three,
which was exciting
because this area
usually gets a great
amount of negative
attention. It turns out
that this guy,
Mohammad Assaf, won
the show. The local
people went absolutely
crazy and began rioting
in the streets. We
werent expecting this
because we couldnt
understand how big of a
deal this was. It was
insane to realize how
much this decision
mattered to the people
cars were cruising the
streets at insane speeds
and people were
celebrating with
screams and shouts of
excitement. It was a
wild sight to see.

the locals. The group I

was a part of and these
Palestinian people
mingled for a few hours.
There were about 30 of
us from America. I was
very aware of the fact
that I was the outsider.
The locals typically
stayed in groups of
people that they were
comfortable with, and
when we made an effort
to mingle, we had a hard
time finding a common
ground to discuss.
Also, we waited to eat
dinner until really late,
like 9 oclock. Many
people in my group
were looking around
and asking about food
for a while before it
came out. It appeared as
though the locals were
content waiting to eat so
late. I wondered if this
was something that was
generally accepted by
their culture.
Regardless, it was easy
to feel like an outsider
in this instance.

Confronti
ng
Personal
As a result of this trip, I
Prejudice
learned
a great amount
about the Israeli and
s
Palestinian conflict. We
got to hear from both
sides of the argument,
which is rooted in a
long, historical
disagreement where
both sides have
committed wrongs.
Previously, I had not
known very much about
the conflict, and I admit
that Im no expert now.
It did open my eyes,
though, to the fact that
the Palestinian people
cannot be grouped
together and labeled as
the bad guys.
Sometimes we get this
impression because the
United States supports
Israel. I had the
opportunity to hear
about the conflict from a
group of Palestinian
Christians who honestly
expressed what its been
like to live as a group of
oppressed people. It was
very enlightening for me
to hear their perspective.
It made me ashamed to
think that I would jump
to conclusions without
knowing both sides of
the conflict.

EDUC 310 Cross-Cultural Interaction Model

Stage #2: Understanding the Cultural Basis of Unfamiliar Behavior
INSTRUCTIONS: Using page four of Chapter 4s handout, briefly describe when you have misunderstood the
cultural cues for each one of the items below.
Communication & Language Use
My friend is involved in a ministry that reaches out to Hispanic students. One time, I was helping her
out by offering a ride to some of the students. I drove five Latino students, all of whom were speaking
around me in Spanish. After a moment of silence, a student in the front spoke up and asked me to
turn down the heat. I felt embarrassed because I was totally clueless!

Situational Behavior
In high school, there was an implied system for how cars were supposed to exit the student
parking lot. We needed a system because cars were funneling from two directions into one
exit. It took me awhile to understand and grasp that cars were supposed to alternate, which
would speed up the process.

Time & Space

My sister and I were on our way to attend a birthday party. We were a little late, and the guests got
upset. The reason they were upset was because we were playing laser tag, and we almost missed the
first game. They did not seem to care that we did not arrive late on purpose; we had gotten lost on the
way and were frantically trying to find the laser tag place.

Rituals & Superstitions

One time in high school, I attended Mass with my friend. It was very different from what I was
accustomed to at my own church. It was the first time I had been exposed to the rituals and customs
linked with the Catholic church.

Social Status
My sister was involved in a fancy, black-tie event, and my family and I got to attend with her. It was
very interesting to observe the upper-class excel in their element. My family is middle class, so I felt
very conscientious of my social status.

Values
The Palestinians that we stayed with valued hospitality at an extremely high level. As Americans,
hospitality is important, but I knew that it meant a great amount to these people in Palestine by the way
they welcomed us and showed us generosity.

Roles
My friend says that out of her two parents, her mom is the one to take control/initiative and make all of
the final decisions. In another one of my friends households, its the opposite. This shows how roles
differ for different families.

Group vs. Individual

The way housing works in Palestine is that families build and add-on vertically to their homes. Housing
is a group effort. In America, however, we want to independently establish ourselves apart from our
parents. The Palestinians choose to live in close proximity to one another.

EDUC 310 Cross-Cultural Interaction Model

Stage #3: Making Adjustments and Reshaping Cultural Identity

INSTRUCTIONS: Using page five of Chapter 4s handout, briefly describe when you have experienced the
concepts below.
Everyone has a categorization for Mexican food. Personally, I absolutely love Mexican food. It always fills me and
gives me good vibes. Others, however, may not care for Mexican food as much or think its too spicy.

Theres differentiation between denominations of Christianity. I dont know all the differences. I would classify
myself as non-denominational Christian.

I am involved with Young Life at JMU, which some might categorize as an in-group. There are about 80 leaders in the HarrisonburgRockingham County area. Within this group, we share experiences leading club, campaigners, and sharing our faith with students.
Some may even go as far to say that we have our own lingo. For example, running hard after kids and meeting kids where theyre
at. These phrases have certain meetings within our in-group.

I learn best through action and interaction with a task. It helps me to learn a skill if I replicate what someone shows
me. Usually, if I attempt it once or twice I can grasp the concept (for example, using a can opener) Some people,
however, benefit most from people explaining directions and following specific instructions that way.

My family has grown up drinking milk for dinner. I thought this was fairly normal until I realized that not every
family drinks milk with their meals. For the longest time, I thought this was something that was culturally accepted
and seen as the norm.

I think the communication and language use is the most challenging for me.
I automatically get nervous and paranoid when people are conversing in other languages.
I panic that I cant understand what they are saying. I also worry that in my attempt to translate
the message they are trying to communicate that I will misinterpret what they are saying.
An example of this was when I was in Israel and Palestine. I did not know any Hebrew or Arabic,
except for a few common words. I felt bad because some of the people were more proficient
in English. It was a challenge to break the communication barrier in some instances.
Select one item in each of the stages you find challenging and
explain why it is a challenge for you.